Puyallup educators have ratified a new 2-year contract with the Puyallup School District, ending a months-long bargaining process.
Puyallup educators have ratified a new two-year contract agreement with the Puyallup School District, ending a months-long bargaining process that centered on class size concerns.
Members of the Puyallup Education Association approved the agreement Sunday after what the union described as hundreds of hours at the bargaining table this week, capping negotiations that began in April. Class size issues had been the main sticking point.
The union said educators had agreed to start the new school year without a newly negotiated contract while bargaining continued. PEA members also agreed that union and district bargaining teams would keep negotiating and meet Sept. 13 to decide next steps. The tentative agreement came ahead of a Sunday deadline.
According to the union, the new agreement includes improved class size remedies and a state cost-of-living increase.
“This is a substantial step forward to an ongoing issue,” Puyallup Education Association Bob Horton said. “Overcrowded classes and huge caseloads hurt all of our students. That puts immense pressure on educators and students, but it’s not anyone’s best learning environment.”
The Puyallup Education Association also thanked the community, “especially parents and students,” for its support.
PEA represents 1,400 certificated teachers in the Puyallup School District and is affiliated with the Washington Education Association and the National Education Association.
